Hotel Kriunes

Lovely hotel, fantastic staff and great decor. Beautiful scenery by the lake and ideally located to get into Reykjavik or out to visit the amazing sights around the area. The rooms are very spacious and well decorated, and the hotel has a very cozy feeling, especially when sitting for breakfast...

Lovely hotel, fantastic staff and great decor. Beautiful scenery by the lake and ideally located to get into Reykjavik or out to visit the amazing sights around the area. The rooms are very spacious and well decorated, and the hotel has a very cozy feeling, especially when sitting for breakfast or dinner looking across the lake.

Extraordinary location, extraordinary services, extraordinary style, super comfortable mattress and bedware. Thank you for the enjoyment that made our stay so wonderful in Reykjavik. Absolutely A+!! Congratulations to the hotel management!

We booked with Hotel Kríunes instead of a hotel at Reykjavik as it was only a few minutes’ drive outside the city, and appeared to be an inexpensive and reasonably rated option. The pictures posted looked spectacular (caution: under lovely sunny conditions), and we thought it would be a lovely...

We booked with Hotel Kríunes instead of a hotel at Reykjavik as it was only a few minutes’ drive outside the city, and appeared to be an inexpensive and reasonably rated option. The pictures posted looked spectacular (caution: under lovely sunny conditions), and we thought it would be a lovely reprieve from the bright lights of the city. Pros: Spacious accommodation for a standard double (larger than what you’d typically expect from similar in Reykjavik). Shower was excellent (rainfall and handheld shower provided), with great water pressure, and consistently held water temperature. Kettle and mini fridge in the room were good additions. Ability to step out of the room onto a patio is great for a view of the night sky when the weather cooperates. Breakfast buffet included continental and hot food (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, crispy roasted potatoes) items, and were well prepared. Check-in and check-out were efficient with little fuss. Cons: The only access road to the hotel is a meandering downhill slope just beyond what appeared to be residential/suburban outskirts of the city. If anticipating snow or poor weather, be mindful that this may be tricky to navigate if not properly equipped with the right vehicle type. Parking is yet another challenge. There are not many lots available (or not available to guests?) just by the entrance, and if you’re laden with luggage in icy conditions, it is quite a trek including a flight of stairs from the overflow parking lot. Although booked directly with the hotel, that was purportedly inclusive of all charges and taxes, there was a separate tax levied on check-in. It was a small charge, but this was the only hotel where we encountered this issue throughout our stay in Iceland. As this was an out-of-the-way location, we had decided to make a dinner reservation at the hotel, which turned out to be a big mistake. The hotel made no indication either by direct communication or via their website that this would be a time where the only dinner option available would be a “festive buffet”, as was cheerily declared by the lady who seated us that evening. There’s no menu, and no explanation of what’s served and the price, except that it was supposedly “excellent”. As it was, what we were provided for 8,000 kr per person (only revealed to us on checking out - as some nasty reverse of a Christmas surprise), were the leftovers from someone else’s Christmas party. Very merry bunch of locals - you just felt like you were gate-crashing their office party, navigating past them to get to the food. There were some local Icelandic dishes for starters which were interesting, and some were tasty, but it rapidly spiralled downhill thereafter. Oversmoked (honestly tasted like consuming the contents of an ashtray) cold cuts, overcooked and dry fish and turkey. Slices of roast pork with some decent crackling were the only saving grace. Dessert consisted of odd triangles that looked like kindling, and tasted like something inappropriate to mention in a review, ginger snaps, and the last dregs of what we assumed was a coconut pavlova. This really felt like a proper rip off, and a completely different dinner experience to the rest of our time in Iceland, which was superb. For 8,000 kr each, we could have eaten very well indeed and in comfort, instead of the disappointing and thoroughly awkward experience we were treated to. I have no idea how long they intend to run their festive buffet, or if indeed, we were simply unlucky on that evening, and the proprietors saw an opportunity for a cash grab. But I’d urge anyone adding a dinner reservation in December to check what’s being offered before you’re stuck between the unpalatable options of either having to drive out on the icy roads again, or paying for something you do not want. On the fence: The overall decor of the hotel is quirky. There are taxidermies on display throughout. The aesthetic feels like a cross between a callback to yesteryear and something out of a B horror movie set (either love it or hate it!).